Draft General Plan of the Capital City of Warsaw – key information for investors and residents
Introduction to the draft General Plan of Warsaw
In today's article in the series entitled " Tuesday Mornings for Construction, the draft general plan for the capital city of Warsaw, published on November 14, 2025, by the Office of Architecture and Spatial Planning of the Capital City of Warsaw (" BAiPP ") The city has already begun public consultations, which will end on January 19, 2026.
First of all, we would like to point out that the current stage of public consultations is a real opportunity to influence the future spatial order of Warsaw, which we, as a law firm, can help you shape.
Brief description of the general plan
We remind you that the general plan is an act of local law and covers the entire commune, with the exception of so-called closed areas (Article 13a of the Act of 27 March 2003 on Spatial Planning and Development, " UPZP "). The designation of specific areas within one of the 13 planning zones will be binding both when adopting local plans and when issuing decisions on development conditions and land use.
Importantly, the municipality may suspend the issuance of a development decision entirely if the general plan does not designate an area for additional development. Until the local plan is adopted, it will be practically impossible to implement new investment plans in these areas.
The subject of general plans is very broad, so we encourage you to read our previous articles on this topic. Part I , Part II , Amendments to other acts , Implementing provisions , and Transitional provisions .
Project comments – what can they be?
BAiPP explains in its official instructions that residents can submit comments regarding, for example, the intended use of given areas within planning zones, urban planning indicators or the extent of the development supplementation area (“ OUZ ”).
This means that interested parties can submit and justify:
- extension of a given area in which it will be possible to obtain development decisions,
- indication of the reasons why investments should be allowed in a given area,
- arguments why, for example, the introduction of greenery and recreation may negatively impact the development of a specific part of the city.
Economic, social and urban planning reasons will be important here.
The city must consider all comments – none can be ignored without verifying their content. Comments are assessed in the context of legal provisions, species habitat safety, restrictions around Chopin Airport, water law, and agricultural law, among other factors.
Textual justification for the draft general plan
The presented draft general plan is accompanied by textual and graphical justification, which, in accordance with the Spatial Development Plan, explains the reasons for designating individual planning zones.
The document states, among other things:
- which areas will remain without major changes – e.g. the Vistula River areas near the Southern Bridge (1200SN – greenery and recreation zone).
- why specific areas will undergo major transformation – e.g. former railway areas in Odolany or a part of the Bemowo airport,
The planning zones will be separate
The draft confirms that planning zones are to be established exclusively on a separate basis. This means that commercial areas will not be permitted to have residential use as a supplement.
Practical consequences
For example, in the southern part of Czerniaków:
- fragments designated as service zone 555SU,
- adjacent as a multifunctional zone with multi-family housing development 969SW,
which means a clear demarcation of these types of purpose.
Designating a service zone will exclude the possibility of approving residential development for this area in local plans and will prevent the location of residential buildings next to large shopping complexes.
New communication zones and infrastructure investments
The presented project shows that Warsaw will face many changes in the area of road, rail and tram infrastructure.
The most important proposals:
New bridge over the Vistula River
- New crossing at the level of Z. Krasińskiego Street, connecting Żoliborz with Praga-Północ (195SO).
Prague-South
- Tram to Gocław,
- reconstruction of Marsa Street,
- construction of the third line of the Warsaw metro – from the National Stadium to the Gocław station.
Białołęka
- Construction of the Olszynka Grochowska Route (from S8 to the Northern Bridge Route),
- including a tram along it.
The left-bank part of Warsaw
- Relief of the S8 route through the confirmed route of the S7 branch: from the Maczka Junction through the Bemowo airport to Łomianki.
Desire
- New student dormitories at Furmańska and Banacha 2A streets.
Investments in the vicinity of the M2 line and Odolan
The draft plan envisages new multi-family housing development:
- in Odolany,
- around the planned M2 line stations: Chrzanów and Karolin.
This is particularly important for investors, as some areas of Bemowo are still not covered by local plans, and the general plan will determine the possibility of changing them.
Further procedure for adopting the general plan
After the public consultations:
- The draft plan + consultation report will be submitted to the Warsaw City Council.
- The Council may adopt it at a session.
- Pursuant to Article 13k of the Public Spatial Development Act, the resolution will be submitted to the Masovian Voivode.
- The voivode will assess compliance with the law and:
- approves the plan for publication in the Official Journal,
- or issues a supervisory decision (Article 91 of the Act on Municipal Self-Government) declaring the invalidity of all or part of the plan.
Once published, the plan will come into effect.
Summary
Comments on the draft general plan can be submitted:
- electronically (form, ePUAP, e-mail),
- on paper (by mail or in person),
- at the district offices or the BAiPP headquarters.
If you need support in analyzing a project or preparing comments, please contact our office.
The project content can be found here:
https://mapa.um.warszawa.pl/mapaApp1/mapa?service=mapa_plan_ogolny
This article is for informational purposes only and does not constitute legal advice.
Legal status as of November 18, 2025
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